Art
Takes Viewers Along for the Ride
Claudio Orso Giacone and Donna Coleman at the FAVA
by Sarah Hull
Along
for the Ride, an exhibit at the Fava Gallery by Claudio Orso Giacone
and Donna Coleman, features the clean lines of Orsos linocuts
and stoneware juxtaposed with the softer shapes of Colemans
oil paintings. The Ride appears to be the ride of their lives, both
meditations on their own existance as well as on world events that
are interwoven with their reality. Giacone remarks in his statement
that he feel[s] the unextinguishable calling to
pinpoint
further and unnoticed constellations on the necessary infinite map
of life. His endeavor has been quite successful. The ultimate
triumph of the exhibit is its ability to urge the viewer to come
along for the ride while Giacone reflects on the events
and emotions that have marked his own life.
The exhibit opens with two dramatically different works of art:
Giacones King of Trouble and Colemans A
Tea Party. King of Trouble is a linocut printed
only in black ink and depicts the rather jolting image of an oncoming
apocalypse. The viewer can actually view the entire assembly line
of destruction, beginning with The King of Trouble
a man in the foreground with his arms raised and ready and his mouth
calling for action. Behind him follow four dark horsemen and various
military images.
The scene culminates with one enormous tank on the horizon. [The
man is] whatever man in power that uses the power in a selfish and
unclever way, Giacone said. This basically is the theme
of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and the apocalypse is coming.
The painting placed next to The King of Trouble, A
Tea Party, is as harmonious and peaceful as the former is
chaotic and destructive. This painting features varied and intriguing
personalities, all regally seated for a tea party: a cool smoking
James Baldwin, a naked Lady Godiva, Andy Warhol and Tasha Tudor
(who appear to be shamelessly flirting with each other) as well
as one of Colemans personal heroes, Ernest White. White, a
former WDCU radio commentator in D.C., fell into drug addiction
and homelessness after the station was sold. [White] was such
a peacemaker, with such a probing, sensitive intelligence, and he
is right now a homeless man
I wanted him to come to the party
so he could at least get a good meal, Coleman said.
Most of Colemans other paintings are semi-autobiographical,
with some being lifted directly from life experience. For Blythes
Birth Announcement, Coleman predicted the appearance of her
then-unborn daughter; the painting was later used for the actual
birth announcement. Coleman said though not entirely truthful,
the painting A is for Attraction, N is for Night was
great revenge on a particular boyfriend.
While her paintings can be quite personal, Colemans portrayal
of subtle womens issues are humorous and accessible. Her painting
The Spring Line is divided into top and bottom frames,
with the top featuring colorful models showing off the new Spring
line. The bottom images are of everyday women struggling to wear
the pieces from the new line. Some get caught in the clothes, some
are too heavy to really fit into them, and some are pleased with
their new look though the outfit does not really fit correctly.
The Bathers and Women Dancing also feature
women experiencing the pleasures and pitfalls of their particular
bodies; the energy and honesty within these paintings is welcoming
and fun.
Compared with the smooth lines and peaceful images inherent in Colemans
works, Giacones appear much more mobile, sometimes containing
an almost frenetic energy. This may be due to the more structured
mediums that Giacone chooses the tight frames inherent in
linocuts and stoneware emphasize the fervent etchings within.
If
life is a journey, then Giacones has been a pretty wild one,
as he has hit such hotspots as Brazil, Mexico and Where the
Mountains Meet the Ocean. His representations of South America
revel in images of partying and noise. My Vida Loca,
features a saxophonist performing on top of a bus, accompanied by
his drinking partner and framed by a huge sign for tacos. Meninas
de Recife (Little Girls of Recife) portrays prostitutes
in Brazil full of big hips and sass. There are also more grounded
pieces, such as On the forces of Yoga, Meditations,
and the beautiful Mama Pasta.
Along
for the Ride allows the viewer to get a glimpse of the lifelong
journeys of two very talented artists. The Ride will at times surprise
and delight, but more importantly, it will enable you to reflect
upon similar experiences and emotions from your own life.
Along
for the Ride will be at FAVA until Oct. 27.
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